Tomorrow's Destiny V20
by Dr.Bartholomew.J.Tucker
Summary: When a formally inactive Forerunner Outpost suddenly comes online, the UNSC fears that another Diadact is coming or worse, another Cortana. To counteract this possible threat, they send Blue Team in to investigate, along with some help from an old friend, Thel'Vadaam. Blue Team expects a fight. What they do not expect is a new member of the family. Rated M out of caution...
1. Log 1: Contact

_**Well, I must say it's refreshing to be back. I had such fun writing this first chapter. Virtual cookies to anyone who can guess why I almost laughed myself to death writing this very serious chapter.**_

 _ **I do not own HALO or Black Rock Shooter**_

Accessing Mission Files.

Access Denied. Enter Authorization Code.

Access Granted.

Welcome Back, Lord Hood.

Folder: Forerunner Installation

Sub-Folders:

648-Guilty Spark

HALO I

HALO II

Genesis

Requiem

Installation 44-15UR

Opening Folder…

MCPO John-117 (Blue One) (Team Leader)

PO1 Kelly-087 (Blue Two) (Scout)

LTJG Frederic-104 (Blue Three) (Sub-Leader/CQC/Assault)

PO1 Linda-058 (Blue Four) (Marksman)

ARBITER Thel'Vadaam (Arbiter) (Support)

NRnk Mato Kuroi (Rock) (Support)

UNSC Frgt Tomorrow's Destiny-Ship's Log

Accessing….

Access Granted. Displaying Ship's Log

UNSC War Frigate Tomorrow's

Date/Time: 2563/18:61

Location: Unexplored Region 15

Log Title: Contact

Commander Johnathan Riker stood on the bridge of the the Tomorrow's Destiny, gazing out into the vast vacuum of space. He sighed quietly and turned to the ship's navigator, "How far is the instillation?"

Sergeant Sarah McAllistar looked up from the navigation display, face lit up a soft green color from the light of the screen, "We will be arriving at the Forerunner Instillation in approximately thirty minutes, sir. Visuals should be available in fifteen seconds…"

The captain nodded and gestured to the communications officer on deck, "Bring up port side visuals, Lieutenant Conner. McAllistar, bring the ship to a halt and turn her port side to the installation. I don't want to be caught in that thing's gravity well if it decides we're hostile. Everyone, we are going into yellow alert. Bring the ship's weapon systems online and prepare for possible hostilities." He glanced up at the now active viewscreen, which was slowly panning across a small, spherical Forerunner outpost. Officially named Installation 44-15UR, it was unremarkable in terms of Forerunner technology. For starters, it was small, not much bigger than Ceres actually. Most Forerunner outposts were about the size of Mars or Earth, sometimes bigger. And then you had the HALO rings. Despite their destructive nature, the ancient objects were a true marvel. This one though… up until recently, it had been deemed dead. Only a minimal amount of energy usage had ever been recorded, and that had been written off as leakage from the energy cores used by Forerunners. It was rare, but known to happen.

About two weeks ago however, the site reappeared on the map. Installation 44-15UR had begun to reactivate itself, causing mass paranoia and fear within the UNSC top brass. No one wanted another Didact loose in the galaxy, or worse, another Cortana. It was quickly decided that the UNSC's best fireteam would be dispatched to assist with a thorough investigation. That's why Tomorrow's Destiny was here. Or more importantly, that is why Blue Team was here. Riker tore himself away from the viewscreen and his thoughts, turning to his Number One, "Alert Cryogenics that Blue Team is to be prepped for combat and-" An unearthly shriek interrupted the captain, causing most of the bridge and ship to slam their hands over their ears.

"SIR! WE'RE BEING SCANNED! SOMETHING'S INVADING THE SHIP'S SYSTEMS!" Lieutenant Dornez, the Chief Science Officer, looked at his station and the rest of the bridge as an orange light washed over everything. Unfamiliar symbols from the Forerunner language flickered across monitor screens at an impossibly fast rate.

"MCALLISTAR! GET US OUT OF HERE!"

The navigator turned to her leader helplessly, a flicker of raw, primal fear in her eyes, "I can't Captain! I've been locked out!"

Commander Riker's blood went cold. The ships navigation and engine systems were completely isolated from the ship computer's core to prevent this scenario exactly. Using an air gap system only accessible from the navigation console or the engine rooms themselves ensured that the steering and propulsion of the ship were both, for lack of a better term, unhackable. The fact that something not only scanned the ship, but also hacked what he could only guess was every ship system and disabled the engines at the same time, meant only one thing. That outpost did _not_ want them to leave any time soon.

Without warning, the scan stopped. For a few brief moments, there was nothing but silence, save the terrified and panicked breathing of most, if not all of the crew. That did not remain so for long. Slowly, the terrified navigator pointed a trembling hand at the Installation, still on screen even after the hack. "S-Sir. The Installation, it's opening!"

Riker twisted to see a portion of the Forerunner Outpost's surface sliding back to form a large entry way. The same thing that was reported by the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn before it was pulled into the Didact's prison. He quickly patched though to the ship's emergency PA system. " **ALL CREW PREPARE FOR GRAVITY DISTORTION! I REPEAT, BRACE FOR GRAVITY DISTORTION! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!** " He turned back to the veiwscreen, settling into the captain's chair and gripping the armrests tight enough to see his knuckles turn white. The entire ship held their breath, waiting for the inevitable drag of the Promethean Well to destroy them. One second passed, then ten… After half a minute, there was no apparent act from the outpost. In fact, it seemed to be rolling out he welcome mat for them.

"..aptain… ou read m…"

Riker jumped in surprise as the bridge PA system came online suddenly. He glanced down at the chair's built in display and frowned. Cryogenics? Did the hack damage the Cryo-pods? "Captain to Cryogenics, repeat your message. The speakers seem to be a bit damaged."

"Cryo-pods deac… hac… Spar… king…. Want… ders…"

Riker shared a concerned glance with his second in command, Sergeant Sam Jackson. It sounded like Cryogenics had been affected by the hack as well. "Data, what is the status of the Cryogenics in room Six-A?"

The yellowish white image of a man in UNSC attire appeared in front of Riker, saluting smartly. "All pods in 6-A are fully functional. However, during the hack, I noticed that the probe seemed especially interested in the pods being used by Blue Team, so I deactivated them and started the thaw and release stages for all of them. I apologize if my actions have caused any inconvenience to the mission, sir."

He just shook his head, "No Data. You are perfectly fine. I was going to wake them up anyway, but the scan interrupted me." Riker glanced at the still open Installation 44-15UR for a moment. "Data, how far is engineering with getting the engines back online?"

Data paused for a moment, eyes reading something invisible to Riker, "It appears that no headway has been made. Whatever managed to infiltrate the ship's systems seemed to be very insistent on taking control of the ship's mobility it seems. However, I think there is little chance of hostilities now. If whatever is controlling the installation wanted us dead, you would all be dust, and this ship torn apart by gravitational tidal forces."

After a brief pause to digest this theory, Riker looked at the ship's AI with a small amount of trepidation. "That means that thing wants us to go in there…"

Data nodded, "Yes. That is a very distinct possibility. Seeing as the probe was so interested in the Cryogenics levels, it leads me to believe that it wants Blue Team especially to come aboard."

The on deck crew turned to observe their captain, waiting for orders. Riker drummed his fingers on the armrests. "Hmm… Bring the ship's alert levels to Red Alert. Consider this entire mission to be a war exercise. Weapons are to be brought online and everyone is to be ready for combat. Data, relay this to the rest of the ship. I want all crew at battle stations until further notice. After a display like that, I don't care if the damned thing isn't hostile. Something is bound to show up that _is._ Have Blue Team report to Pelican Bay 10. Tell flight control to get a pelican prepped and have the armory deliver their weapons directly to the bay." Data nodded once and saluted, vanishing to deliver the messages. Commander Riker stood and glared at the viewscreen as red lights began bathing the bridge in a blood red glow. "Anderson, are scanners online?"

The Science Officer glanced down at his station nervously, only to blink in surprise, "Er… Yes, sir. In fact, the ship is already performing multiple scans of the installations." He entered a few commands into the the console and sighed in relief when he was rewarded with a successful scan change. "I am in control of my station, sir. Is there anything in particular we are looking for?"

He nodded, "Yes. I want to know how that thing was able to get inside an air gapped system with little to no resistance. Can you do that?"

Anderson shrugged, "I can do you one better, sir. I can tell you without performing the scans. It basically hacked into the navigation console and used that to create a bridge to access the engines. It's quite ingenious actually." He frowned as something appeared on his console. "Sir, I'm picking up a strange reading… It's coming in as a pulse, but faintly… Let me put it on screen. Also, can we get Data's help on figuring out what it is? I don't really know what it is, but is seems almost… familiar…"

Riker watched the viewscreen quietly as a digital readout of the strange pulse signal appeared. He was right, it did seem familiar… "Data, if you are through with delivering your messages, we could use your assistance in identifying the origins of an unknown signal."

Without a moment's hesitation, Data reappeared, ready to assist the Captain. He turned to inspect the signal and frowned, surprising everyone., "Sir… The signal here is not some electronic pulse. It's an audio file."

Riker raised an eyebrow in surprise. An audio file? That's new… "Data, can you-"

"Convert the signal into an audio format? Yes, captain. That is simple enough… Converting…. Finished. Now playing audio stream."

A hush fell upon the bridge as they waited for the audio to filter in. _**Thu-Thump…. Thu-Thump… Thu-Thump…**_ Anderson looked at Riker in awe, recognizing the sound for what it was, "Sir… it's a _heartbeat…_ " He looked positively giddy as Data nodded with agreement.

"Yes, and from what I know of human anatomy, which is considerable, it sounds as if there is a teenage human on board that outpost. Most likely in some form of suspended animation or stasis. It would also explain both the lack of hostility, and the energy consumption. It was not an energy leak, as we originally believed, but the minimum amount required to keep this unknown organism alive…" Data paused and looked to the side. "My apologies sir, but Blue Team is arriving at Bay 10. What would you like the briefing to include?"

Riker listened to the impossible heartbeat for a few seconds more, and turned to look at Data, a fire in his eyes. "These are my orders…"

 _ **HELLO ONCE AGAIN! 'Tis I, Marethyu! After a long hiatus, I have finally returned to writing fanfiction. I have been reading over my stories, and decided that they need either major revision or complete rewrites. This is one of those rewrites. I finally managed to see the actual story lines and characters of HALO 5: Guardians, and realized that I had completely screwed up! Wow… Anyways, I wanted to thank everyone for the massive amounts of support I recieved before my impromptu hiatus took place. VIRTUAL COOKIES FOR ALL! (I think I did that right…) I will try to write as much as possible over the next few weeks, because on the twenty sixth of February, I ship out to Basic Training in Fort Sills, Oklahoma! That's right, I'm in the Army now! I am now a Combat Medic in training! Wish me luck! Also, I need some input. Again…**_

 _ **If you don't remember, I was planning on making a few fanfictions, but I had no idea who the pairings were going to be, or what the titles should be. Remember, my writing is a bit darker and grittier than most romance writers, so I can't use fluffy titles. First question, and I know this one is already written, but I still need some help with it.**_

 _ **In Warlock's Destiny, what House should Stella be in? Remember, Houses tend to follow a person's personality, so don't just all say Griffindor because that's the house Harry's in.**_

 _ **Griffindor- House of the Brave/Honorable… (Other side) Reckless/Somewhat dimwitted at times…**_

 _ **Ravenclaw- House of the Wise/Logical… (Other side) Narrow Minded/Authority Followers**_

 _ **Hufflepuff- House of the Loyal/Friendship… (Other side) Meek/Average(?)**_

 _ **Slytherin- House of Ambition/Cunning… (Other side) Pureblood Beliefs/Arrogance**_

 _ **So there are your choices, unless some of you have other ideas. NEXT!**_

 _ **So… Stella in the word of Remnant. Title ideas? Pairings/Pairing Names?**_

 _ **Trying to rewrite BRS/RWBY, same as above. Titles/Pairing/Pairing Names anyone?**_

 _ **Signing out… (Still haven't gotten a response on this one… Kudos to whomever knows what my outro means.)**_

 _ **Ego Mortem Pestifer Mundi…**_


	2. Log 2: Blue Team

_**I'm just going to keep pumping these things out, so don't worry if I don't respond to reviews and whatnot.**_

 _ **I do not own HALO or Black Rock Shooter, if I did, I wouldn't be living in a homeless shelter while I'm waiting to be shipped out!**_

 _ **Chapter 2: Blue Team**_

 _ **Cryochamber Recuperation Area 1**_

John stared at the wall in front of him, an enormous towel wrapped around his shoulders. To his left and right were members of Blue Team, each in varying stages of shock and nausea. The Cryotechs claimed it was an emergency purge, or quick thaw, as it was commonly called. Most people related the experience to being birthed in Antarctica. Freezing cold and disgusting. Even a veteran like John had difficulty going through the process, and he was an augmented super soldier. He genuinely felt sorry for any regular human who had to go through the process. The sound of a vomiting Arbiter brought him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the Sangheili veteran to see him hunched over a five gallon bucket and looking miserable.

Thel glared at John, wiping his mandibles with the back of his hand. "When I find the human responsible for this, I am going to tear them limb from limb, treaty be damned!"

John nodded, half agreeing with the Arbiter, "I feel the same way, Arbiter. Unfortunately, the one who dragged us out of Cryo-stasis was Data, the ship's AI. He believed that the Cryolevels were in imminent danger. Apparently we were scanned and hacked by whatever intelligence is on the Forerunner outpost."

Thel just grumbled out something out unflattering in Wortish and ducked his head towards the bucket again.

Linda eyed the vomiting Arbiter with distaste, mildly disturbed by the sight. Turning to Fred, she blocked out the sound of the Arbiter, "What do you think happened, Fred? A quick thaw? Something must have scared Data to make him do that…"

Frederic-104, known as Fred to Blue Team, just shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? If I had to guess, whatever intelligence is on the Installation wanted to know if we were a threat and decided to scan us. It probably hacked into the ship's system files while it was at it. The probe got too close to the Cryochambers, and Data forced an emergency purge."

"Actually, that is exactly what happened."

The Spartans and Arbiter turned sharply to look at the holographic image of Data standing in the middle of the room. John nodded at the AI, his scarred face passive, "I take it you are here to brief us?"

Data shook his head, "Not yet, your team is well enough to operate and has been suited up, you are to report to Pelican Bay Ten. Your weapons will be available for pickup there." He paused, realizing that someone was missing. "Where is Petty Officer Kelly?"

The brown haired Spartan staggered out of a nearby latrine,looking ridiculously pale, "Right-urp… Here… Just give me a minute to-urk… recover…" She groaned and staggered over to Linda, practically collapsing on top of her.

Linda glared at her, "What are you-"

"Shush… I'm just gonna rest here a bit." Despite the nauseated tone in her voice, there was a smile a mile wide on her face.

Linda's eye twitched in annoyance, and she dumped the now faking Spartan to the metal floor, ignoring the cry of outrage from the childish soldier, "I think were ready to suit up, Data. Arbiter, are you well enough to move."

Thel just grunted and stood, walking out the door. Due to the way the Sangheili made their armor, he was able to wear his through a quick thaw without any ill effects. Of course, that was without an Overshield Generator. "I will wait for you at the designated area."

Kelly smirked at the retreating form of the Arbiter, "Well, someone isn't a morning person."

John stood, cracking his neck and silencing his team, "Blue Team. Suit up and move out. Be on site for the briefing or get left behind." He turned away and went a short ways away, where a small team of engineers were waiting to put his armor on and calibrate it. His departure was the signal to the rest of Blue Team that their break was over. They quickly made their way to their own designated Armor Stations. The time for jokes and wisecracks was over. Now was the time to be Spartans.

***30 MIN LATER***

Kelly cradled M45 Shotgun to her armored chest, grinning like an idiot beneath her helmet. She had gotten some new Dragon's Breath munitions from the UNSC surplus last time they were planetside, and she couldn't wait to test it out on something. Preferably something trying to kill her, but hey, a target was a target was a target. If she shot something with the shotgun, she would be happy. Ignoring the strange looks she was receiving, she attached her personal weapon to the magnetic strip on her back and slid the standard issue magnum into its holster.

The Arbiter chuckled, a wet, choking sound, "As a warrior race, my kind cherishes their weaponry, and we will sometimes name them, but I don't think we hug them as if they were a lover."

The recon specialist whirled around, a scathing retort on her lips, "Oh yeah? Well-"

"Rabbit! That's enough. Get your gear and head on over to Data to get briefed." Fred calmly walked past the two, cradling a DMR in his hands. "And remember, that's the Arbiter you're about to insult. He control's an entire nation. As much as I doubt he would call all out war from one human's comments, no one would stop him from impaling you on an energy sword."

If a Sangheili could look smug, Thel was there. He somehow _smiled_ at Kelly, as if daring her to insult him. His hand drummed a beat on the hilt of the energy sword clipped to his waist, "Well, Daemoness? Do you have anything to say to me?"

Kelly watched the Arbiter nervously from behind her helmet visor. As much as she doubted the Arbiter would purposely hurt her outside of combat training… She suddenly grinned and sauntered up to the alien. With a strange sort of calmness, she reached up and poked his face. "Tag, your it."

Before the Arbiter could react, she was gone. A few of the men in the area yelled in surprise as a green wall of armor streaked between them. Thel watched as Kelly slid to a stop next to Fred and John, and waved cheekily at him. He grumbled wearily in Wortish and clomped after her, followed closely by Linda, who had a SRS99-S5 stuck to her back via magnetic strips and a magnum. Chief nodded to the two of them, checking the readout and magazines for his Assault Rifle carefully as he waited for Data to begin the briefing. "Try not to let Kelly get to you, Arbiter. She's just nervous. The last Installation we went to… It wasn't pretty."

Thel just snorted and glanced at Kelly, who was now shifting from foot to foot, "If you ask me, she drank to many of those caffeinated beverages you humans are so fond of."

Fred bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing, "That's enough you two. Data is ready to begin the briefing."

The AI nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Lieutenant." A holographic representation of the Forerunner outpost flickered to life next to him. "We discovered Installation 44-15UR approximately three months ago, after the fall of the Genesis Outpost. It is one of the smallest installations discovered so far, and is the most distant outpost we have found so far. At the time of it's discovery, ONI scientists deemed it a simple exploration outpost, abandoned after whatever cataclysm wiped out the forerunners. It was completely deactivated, save for a small power leak near the energy core. All attempts to gain access to the interior were useless, so it was forgotten. Two days ago however, the Installation reactivated itself, sending out what we believe to be a strong distress beacon." The display vanished, and Data remained silent for a moment."

"When we arrived, the Captain had the ship stop outside what he thought was the Installation's gravitational an scanning range. Unfortunately, there was a miscalculation. The Installation began scanning the ship and its systems. It hacked the engines and navigational protocols, forcing us to remain here. I forced an emergency purge after the scanning probe strayed too close to the Cryogenic Protocols. My apologies for any discomfort. Shortly after I purged you, the installation opened its main access point and forced the ship's own scanners to begin scanning. What they picked up was truly remarkable."

Data gestured to the side, where a holographic audiograph appeared. The Spartans recognized the sound instantly, being well versed in combat medicine. The Arbiter however, looked confused. "What is that noise? It is unfamiliar to me…"

Kelly turned to the alien, her excitement almost palpable, "It's a heartbeat, Arbiter. A human heartbeat!"

Thel looked sharply at the AI, skepticism clear in his eyes and crossed arms. "Are we certain about this, computer?"

Data nodded, "There is only a two percent chance of error." The holgram vanished and the AI snapped to attention. "This is a Reconnaissance and Retrieval Mission, Blue Team. Your objectives are as follows: Find the Monitor for this Installation if one exists, activate the Cartographer, find and retrieve the source of the heartbeat. Kill any and all hostiles in the vicinity. Petty Officer Pravdin, you will be piloting the Pelican. Good luck, Blue Team." The AI vanished, having delivered the captain's orders.

John stuck his assault rifle to the magnetic strips on his armor, "Blue Team, move out. We have our objectives and our standing orders. Let's try to be back here by dinner this time." He stood to the side to allow Linda to board the Pelican first, followed by Kelly and Fred.

The Arbiter stopped in front of the legendary Spartan, a pensive look in his eyes. "What do you make of this, Daemon?"

John frowned, the expression hidden behind his golden visor. "Honestly, Arbiter, I don't know. The last time we encountered something alive on a Forerunner Installation…"

He nodded, "The Didact, yes. But he wasn't fully alive… Nor was he human. This is something else entirely."

The Spartan nodded, "Yes. However, this is not the time to be talking. We have a job to do Arbiter. Once that's finished, then we can ask questions." He turned away and entered the craft, followed by Thel after a brief moment of hesitation.

Linda calmly began starting up the Pelican, opening up a line of communication with flight control. "Control, this is Linda-058, requesting permission to fly."

The radio was silent for a moment, but crackled to life quickly, "Linda-058, this is Control. You are clear for takeoff. Try to keep Chief from tearing up the Pelican this time. The UNSC may be able to afford it, but we're starting to get carpel tunnel from the amount of paperwork he's giving us."

Linda rolled her eyes, "I'll be sure to relay the message. See you at dinner, Control." She turned and looked back at the passenger area. "You hear that Chief? Try not to break our ride out of that place."

John just looked at her sourly and nodded. "Start flying, Linda."

"Yes, sir…"

The engines whined briefly as they pushed the Pelican into the air. Linda carefully maneuvered the craft across the landing pad and out into space. Once out of the ship, she put a little more power into the engines and cruised away.

 _ **Well, this is turning out to be quite fun! I'm trying to give the wntire team and ship more of a military style, except Kelly of course. She's the comic relief. Also, I'm shipping Kelly and Linda. SHIP CREATED! DEATL WITH IT! *ahem…* Now that we have those pleasantries out of the way, wanted to thank the Guest reader who pointed out a few mistakes I had made. I'm not quite sure why autocorrect decided that John-117 should be John-411, but I corrected it as soon as I could. Heh… Correcting Autocorrect… Redundancy at its finest. As for Thel's name, I had seen it spelled Vadaam when I first started writing this crossover, so I went with it.I'm also still waiting on suggestions for thos other fanfictions I'm working on.**_

 _ **Next Chapter: Blue Team Shattered Heart-093 and his charge!**_

 _ **Last,but certainly not least, You may recall that I put out a preview for an original story I was trying to write. Unfortunately, it seems to have completely stagnated. No ideas or plot lones will connect whatsoever. So, I have decided to switch tactics. Instead of a Supernatural story, I will be writting science fiction. I seem to have better luck with that anyways. So, without further ado, here's a first look at**_ _ **Project Valkyrie**_ _ **!**_

Olympia City, District 84 UNSAF Military Installation

03:06 26871019

Sirens wailed in the distance as UNSAF soldiers scurried around the grounds, preparing for a dust storm heading straight for Olympus Mons. A massive wall of darkness tumbled towards the city, portions of it being lit red by powerful lightning bursts. It was almost upon the city, and yet the usually punctual military seemed desperately , the sirens would have begun warning people at least thirty minutes before the dust storm arrived, but the main system was undergoing maintenance and the backup system was out of order for some reason. Thus, they had no time to prepare for the ridiculously large storm. It was the largest one in fifteen years, and not even the rich upper class near the peak of the extinct Martian volcano would be safe from the primal fury of the red planet.

Amongst the frantic confusion created by the bustling soldiers, two figures made their way hurriedly towards the landing pads, where numerous VTOL carriers were being prepped for the storm. The first was a military scientist from the ONI Genetic Research Department. Although if you asked her where she worked, the scientist would have responded with GenTech Laboratories. Unbeknownst to the public, that was merely the public front to ONI, a military shadow organization they believed to be destroyed. Her fiery red hair, pale freckled skin, and brilliant emerald green eyes marked her distinct Irish heritage. Her thin, white lab coat billowed in the breeze, revealing the ONI uniform underneath. She rarely wore it, save for the rare occasion where she visited an installation such as this. This particular installation housed a genetically modified meta-organism, codename Project Valkyrie. She glanced behind her and spoke with a soft Irish burr, "Are you okay, Stella?"

Behind the scientist, in a military uniform that was obviously to big for her, a teenage girl even paler than the irishwoman followed closely. An army cap was pulled down low over her face, and a pair of shaded military safety glasses covered her eyes. She nodded imperceptibly, not speaking aloud. The older woman opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by a soldier near the VTOL craft.

"Doctor Erikson, what are you doing on the surface? YOu hear the sirens right? It isn't safe out here"

Doctor Sarah Ericson, turned and lifted her chin, looking at the soldier with an air of superiority and arrogance, "Those siren's are exactly why I'm here, Lieutenant! I have important research in my personal labs, and it is of the utmost importance that I return to ensure that my aides haven't accidentally contaminated any of it!"

The soldier just shook his head, "I'm sorry, doctor, but all flights have been grounded across the city. If the sirens had gone off maybe twenty minutes earlier, then you might have been able to go. Don't worry, I'm sure your research will be just fine." His eyes began darting to the odd looking 'soldier' behind the doctor. "Who are-"

"Are you quite finished?" Dr. Erikson cut the lieutenant off abruptly, stepping in close and glaring at him. The sight of the diminutive woman ficing him with such a heated stare reminded the man of the rumors. Dr. Erikson had definitively inherited the Irish temper when she was born, and if there was one thing you di not want to do, it was anger Dr. Sarah Erikson.

"Wh-what? I-"

Sarah snapped her fingers in front of the stuttering Lieutenant, confusing and unnerving him further. With her other hand, she discreetly gestured for the girl, Stella, to board the nearest VTOL. "Please, try to keep up, soldier. I hate it when I end up talking to people dumber than some of the experiments at GenTech, and some of those are practically brain dead! My labs are only a few blocks away. If I take that VTOL and leave now, I can easily make it in time to get inside and make sure everything is safe. Don't worry though," She reached up and slapped his cheek lightly, sidestepping him and heading to the VTOL. "I'll make sure you get your bird back in one piece."

Acting instinctively, the soldier reached out and grabbed her arm, "Ma'am, I'm afraid I can't let you"

Doctor Erikson rounded on the man, fixing him with an icy stare that made him trail off nervously. Through clenched teeth, she hissed out, "Release me, right this instant," When he stubbornly refused, she added bluntly, " _Private."_

He let go of the woman as if touched with a red hod poker. Faced with the threat of demotion, the Lieutenant did what any smart soldier would do. He saluted stiffly, snapping to attention, "Stay safe, Doctor…"

Sarah nodded and marched smoothly to the VTOL, where Stella was waiting in the copilot seat. A pilot helmet concealed her face better than the glasses and hat. She climbed in after the girl and sat in the pilot's chair, starting the engines hurriedly. As she did so, a group of heavily armed men burst from the main complex and spread out, followed closely by a grim looking man in a General's uniform. A nasty scar traced its way across his face, starting from the top of his left eyebrow, and ending at the bottom of his lower right jaw. The Lieutenant noticed the commotion and rushed to the general's side, "What seems to be the problem, sir?"

The man twisted around to look at him, a mixture of panic and rage in his eyes, "Where is Erikson!? Have you seen her?"

He nodded and pointed at the VTOL, which was slowly beginning to take off, "Yes, sir! She is in the VTOL, along with a new recruit! She had to return to her labs to secure some sort of research, sir!"

The general turned an odd shade of plum and roared at the lieutenant, "You incompetent fool! That was subject seven! You just aided a domestic terrorist in the theft of a highly classified weapon and god knows how much intelligence!"

The lieutenant's blood ran cold, "G-General Striker, I swear I-"

The general ignored him and drew his sidearm, "All units, fire at the VTOL! Aim to shoot it down!" His men were quick to follow his orders, turning their assault weapons on the hovering VTOL. The air filled with the sound of gunfire as bullets flew through the air. Unfortunately, the men were unprepared to shoot down a military grade transport, so their bullets did little more than scratch the paint of the craft. The roar of the VTOL's engines drowned out the gunfire as it roared away from the military compound.

The general snarled and pulled out his radio, barking an order into it, "Lucian, you are cleared for active duty! Shoot that thing down, now!"

A man wearing an unmarked uniform burst from the complex, carrying a truly massive sniper rifle in his arms. With speed and agility that could only be described as inhuman, he scaled the tallest guard tower and took aim at the receding form of Doctor Sarah's VTOL. There was a brief moment of silence, before the booming report of the massive gun resounded in the air. The sniper's aim was true, and he would have destroyed the VTOL's main engine, had it not been for a small gust of wind that occurred just before he had fire. The force caused him to shift his aim, by only a few millimeters, but still enough to for him to miss the engine. However, the devastating bullet struck the left wing of the craft, practically tearing it off. The men watched as it began to spiral out of control, disappearing behind the city skyline. A cloud of fire and smoke billowed up from the crash sight, marking its position for all to see.

General Striker stared at it silently, before turning away and heading back to the base. The dull thunder of the dust storm had now becom a constant roar. It was upon them now. "Get a retrieval team together to recover the crashed VTOL. If you find any survivors, bring them to me alive. Use the dust storm as cover. Someone contact the local media. Tell them that a training exercise was occurring just before the dust storm hit ad the pilot made an error, resulting in the crash. As for you, Lieutenant… Your services are no longer required."

The soldier blinked in surprise and confusion, clearing his throat, "What do you mean, Gen-"

The sound of a second sniper blast went off, and the man's chest practically exploded. He flew back several yards and landed in a pool of blood and viscera. The General continued on his way and nodded at Lucian as he dropped down from the tower, "Excellent shot, Subject Six. Report to Lab B for a few quick tests, and the return to your quarters."

The genetic experiment nodded and pulled the earpiece from his pointed ear. He glanced down at the body and wrinkled his nose in disgust at the smell, "And what of the corpse, sir?"

"Leave it, there's no need for him to be stinking up the complex while's we're all stuck inside."

He nodded and followed everyone inside, handing the rifle to his handler. Soon the yard was clear of all uniformed men, save for the body of the dead Lieutenant. The red sands of Mars eagerly soaked up his blood, anchoring it to the ground as the massive dust storm hit and plunged the world into darkness.

 _ **So, what do you think!? The entire thing above was free written, so it isn't a definitive part of the book, but more of a glimpse into the world of Project Valkyrie! Signing out and preparing to write chapter three… Ego Mortem Pstifer Mundi.**_


	3. Log 3: Shattered Heart-093

_**Hello everybody! I thought I should give you lot a little treat today, so I invited a special somebody. Allow me to introduce Doctor Sarah Erikson!**_

 _ ***A computer screen lights up, and Doctor Erikson appears onscreen.***_

 _ **DE: Hello? Is this thing on?**_

 _ **M: Yes, Doc. The mic is on. My apologies if this is too primitive for you.**_

 _ **DE: *Shoots a withering stare at me.* Marethyu does not own any aspect of HALO or Black Rock Shooter. I suggest that he starts writing Project Valkyrie soon so I can find out if I survived that DAMNED CRASH! *Points a finger at me through the screen.* IF I ever find a way to get on Earth, I will load your skinny white ass onto a VTOL and shoot you down! You hear me!? I'll-!**_

 _ **M: *Presses a button and cuts the transmission off.* Well… Somebody's a bit testy today… *snickers* She'll be fine… I think. On another note, but the same tune, I will start bringing in characters from both Project Valkyrie and my other stories to do cameos for the intros and outros!**_

 _ **ONCE MORE UNTO THE BRINK, MY LOYAL READERS! ONCE MORE UNTO THE BRINK!**_

Log Three: Shattered Heart-093 and Eternal Song's last note.

Linda set the Pelican down softly inside the cavernous landing bay that was the entrance of Installation 44-15UR, "Okay, this is our stop. Keep your eyes peeled for a Monitor, and for God's sake, don't destroy damage anything. We don't want a pissed off Monitor on our hands."

Kelly chuckled quietly and stood up, heading for the lowering Pelican ramp. "Yeah, Chief. That includes the Monitor itself."

"Can it, PO, and move out of the way, you're blocking the exit," Chief grumbled, pushing his way past Kelly and readying his Assault Rifle. The Monitors were nothing but trouble in his opinion. In fact, Guilty Spark-648 had tried to kill him on multiple occasions! The little blue bastard may have claimed to be on Chief's side after he blew up the Monitor's installation, but Chief never really trusted the floating blue ball of Forerunner tech.

Thel quietly stepped off the Pelican, giving reverence to the race he once worshiped as gods. He knew that they were never gods to begin with, but he still respected the sheer power they had. The technologically advanced race could have easily passed for gods in ancient times.

Kelly and Linda were off next, followed closely by Fred. The first pulled out her shotgun and pumped it, grinning behind her polarized visor. Linda held an arm in front of her and depolarized her visor, giving the eager Spartan a warning look, "Don't give the monitor a reason to become hostile."

Fred nodded and walked past the two, "Agreed. Keep it out if you want, but leave your finger off the trigger."

The team got into a basic formation, with Chief and Arbiter at the front, and Fred and Linda bringing up the rear. John gestured towards Kelly, and then motioned for her to move ahead. Before the heavily armed Spartan could even move however, a pure black Monitor with a soft white light drifted down from the ceiling calmly. The sudden movement caused all of the team to draw their weapons in a flash and point them at the new presence. The Monitor merely looked at the for a moment, before speaking to them with a distinctly English accent. The sort you hear from an English butler, "Spartans, Arbiter, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Shattered Heart-093, but you may call me whatever makes you comfortable. Please, put your weapons away and follow me. Miss Love wishes to speak with you before you have to retrieve the young mistress." The Monitor turned abruptly and mad his way towards a large lift, not waiting to see if the warriors had any question or if they were even following him.

Chief gave a sideways glance at the Arbiter, who merely shrugged in helplessly and reluctantly followed the strange Monitor, deactivating his Energy Sword and returning it to his waist. Fred and the rest of the Blue team looked towards their leader, waiting for instructions. Chief watched Shattered Heart curiously for a moment, before trusting himself to speak, "Blue Two and Blue Three, put your primaries away, and draw your side arms. Blue Four, make sure your safety is off. I don't care if that thing isn't acting hostile. An act is all it might be. We'll play along for now, but if this goes south, I want to be ready to give them hell. Blue Four, you're a people person. See if you can't squeeze some information out of our guide." The lead Spartan checked his weapon again before jogging to catch up to the Arbiter and Monitor. "Move out."

Blue Team quickly fell in behind their leader, in order of numerical designation. Kelly clutched at her shotgun, ready to use it at a moment's notice. The Monitor turned to look at them as they boarded the lift, but said nothing. It was almost as if he was annoyed with them for keeping their weapons on hand, but had the professional courtesy to not say anything. As soon as they were all on board, the lift began to drop. Kelley watched the Monitor for a moment, considering how she was going to approach the strange computer. She nodded slowly, "Right, so Alfred, who is this Miss Love? I didn't think Forerunners had human names."

The Monitor actually hesitated for a moment before responding, "I must apologize, ma'am. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to discuss too much of Miss Love's life. However, I can tell you some things about her, and of this installation. In fact, it would probably be best if I answered your questions here. The lift can be quite dull." A strange noise scratched its way from the Monitor, and the team realize that Alfred was clearing his nonexistent throat, "Where should I begin? Well, I suppose I can tell you Miss. Love's actual name. When she resided upon the Forerunner homeworld, she was known as Song of Eternal Love. An fitting name, I suppose. She was a high ranking scientist, and was one of the Forerunners who helped create the composer. She believed it could be used to store the conscious mind if the body was damaged beyond repair. Then the mind could be transferred to a new body, or if one was not readily available, it could be stored indefinitely. When the when the Human-Forerunner War came along, she sided with the humans, and was banished to here because of it. She has been watching the human race ever since. Her love of humanity also pushed her to take up the name of Sing Love. It's also the reason I sound like an English butler to you. She took a great liking to the British culture." He looked the Spartans up and down, "Although you may consider her sense of fashion to be quite… irregular."

Master Chief raised an eyebrow at that, "What do you mean, 'irregular'?"

Alfred turned on the veteran Spartan, "Ah yes, Sierra-117, aka the Master Chief. I understand that you have a penchant for vandalizing Forerunner installations. Please, try not to damage anything on your visit here." He ignored the looks of surprise directed his way, and refused to answer the Chief's question.

The lift remained silent for a few minutes after that. Everyone was stunned to hear that Alfred somehow knew who Chief was, and what's more, he knew of Chief's past history. It was Alfred who broke the silence as the lift began to slow, "We are arriving at the viewing area. Please, I insist that you put your weapons away. We will not harm you." The request seemed more insistent this time, but once again John just motioned for his team to keep their firearms out and ready. As the door opened they stepped out, even Chief's jaw dropped in amazement.

The Viewing Area was just that. A place to look outside of the Installation without the need of windows. A starfield stretched out as far as the further than even Linda's eye could see, an immense span of multicolored pinpricks of light broken only by the ugly bulk of the Tomorrow's Destiny. A small white path lead to a round white platform, where classical music could be heard drifting on the air. A small sitting area was set up, with a pot of tea ready to serve placed on an ornate, white garden table. Sitting at the table, with their back turned towards them, was a girl wearing a white duster. The hood of the duster was put down, allowing two long, uneven pigtails to sway in the air. A slim, glove hand rested on the table as it's owner looked out to the stars.

Alfred floated up and tilted downwards, as if to bow, "Ma'am, our guests have arrived."

The girl, obviously Sing Love, stood quietly and turned to face the team. Her brilliant pink eyes shone with a mixture of amusement and sadness as she gave them a small, frail smile, "Blue Team… Arbiter… Welcome to Haven. It is a pleasure to meet you all." Her voice carried the sound of old authority, yet it was weak, frail… Its volume barely carried over a whisper. "Please sit down. We do not have much time before I pass on."

The veteran warriors were at a loss for words. This was the Forerunner, Song of Eternal Love? She certainly didn't look like one! The ancient scientist gave a soft chuckle, "Not what you were expecting? I assume the Didact gave you a much more monstrous expectation." She smiles weakly again and shakes her head, sitting down in her own chair and gesturing to the other seats, "Please, sit. I will try to explain what I can."

The Arbiter was the first to take his seat, bowing to the Forerunner and murmuring something in Wortish before sitting. The rest followed suit, albeit without the reverence. Chief reluctantly set his Assault Rifle to the side, motioning for the rest of his team to do the same. Kelly, of course, was the first one to begin voicing the question on everyone's mind, "So um… Why do you…"

"Look like a human teenager?" "She laughs quietly, the motion ending with a jarring coughing fit that made even the Spartans wince in sympathy. After a allowing herself a few seconds to catch her breath, she smiled again, "Well, when the Forerunners exiled me for siding with humanity, they decided to give me a second prison. Using the Composer, they tore my mind away from my body, and stuck it inside a human body. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to make it impossible for me to configure my mind back into my original body. Luckily, this used to be one of my personal installations, and I had a cloning unit on hand. Every time it is time for this body to die, my mind is extracted with a Composer and placed inside a new one. Unfortunately, it seems that the mind can only take so much before it begins to wear down. My mind is at its limit, as is my body. Over the last few decades, I have preparing for death. However, I forgot one thing. The cloning unit was still prepped to create another body." She sighed and gazed sadly at the stars, "I suppose it was selfish of me to do it, but I altered the process, and manipulated the genetic material that was to be used to clone myself. I didn't want to die quietly, without some sort of legacy… Is that so wrong?"

Her mouth twitched upwards, and she shook her head, "It doesn't matter anymore, just as it didn't matter then. Twelve years ago, I created a descendant, a daughter to call my own… I named her Stella… Stella Kuroi. Stella because she was born in the stars, and Kuroi because… Well, it's Japanese for Black Clothed. I suppose her Forerunner name would have been 'Star Cloaked in Darkness…' What a ridiculous name, right?"

Alfred flew in close and nudged the albino pseudo-human in her arm, "Miss Love, please… There isn't much time."

She smiled sadly and brushed a hand along the Monitor's outer shell, "Yes… You're right." Sing cleared her throat and looked back to the warriors. "Of course, I couldn't keep her here. My lifespan wasn't measured in deacades anymore… But years. Three months ago, when your UNSC vessels came to investigate my prison, I knew it was time. I began preparing faster than ever, making sure that I was going to be able to send my daughter off in good hands. It took a while, but I finally managed to recreate the distress signals I sometimes receive from your vessels. That's when I reactivated Haven and sent out the signal, along with a recording of Stella's heartbeat from when she was in stasis a few years ago. Thank you for coming so quickly."

Fred nodded slowly, a pang of sympathy echoing through him, "We're just doing our job, ma'am."

Chief nodded, "Yes, I am sorry for what you-"

"Mistress, I have terrible news!"

Everyone turned to look at Alfred, who was looking at a readout that had popped up from some invisible surface. He turned to look at them, and they could hear panic in his voice. "Several ships have dropped out of slipspace, and they bear Covenant signatures!"

All eyes whipped towards the image of Tomorrow's Destiny in horror as multiple slipspace portals opened and delivered the small Covenant fleet directly in their location. Master Chief leapt to his feat and looked at Sing Love, "Where is the girl located?"

She quickly responded, pointing at the lift, "In her quarters, near the armory! Shattered Heart, take them to the slipspace transporter! Get my daughter out of here!" A pink fire sparked weakly in her left eye, before flaring to life. She stood up as multiple slipspace portals opened up on the far side of the chamber. The inky black of space vanished, only to be replaced by an orange grid pattern. The ancient forerunner stood proudly as a platoon of Grunts, Brutes, Jackals, and Hunters spilled out of the portals. A massive pink and white scythe appeared in her hands, followed by a strange ring structure around her entire form.

The Monitor drifted closer to Sing, "And what of you, Mistress?"

She smiled kindly at her longtime companion, "I was never going to make it off of this prison anyways." A mischievous look flickered across her face. "Tell me, did the Spartans give you a new name?"

The Monitor nodded, "I believe the Spartan Kelly referred to me as, 'Alfred'."

A slightly childish giggle escaped her before a peaceful expression spread across her face and she sighed, "Well then, Alfred… It has been a pleasure to have known you. I have one more order to give you. Go with the Spartan, and make sure my baby girl grows up right! You hear me?"

The now renamed Alfred, seemed taken aback by Sing's fiery tone, and had to collect himself before responding, "Yes ma'am. I will do as you say, mistress."

She laughed, "Please call me Sing… And one more thing." The forerunner looked to the now charging Covenant, and readied her scythe. "I, Song of Eternal Love, hereby release the Monitor Shattered Heart 093 from his duty as Protector of Haven. All functions are to be returned to my command…" The pointed winglets on the ring structure lit up a vibrant pink as she said this. She smiled, and began walking towards the Covenant. Everyone could hear the tightness of barely restrained tears as she walked away, "Good luck, Spartans… You as well, Arbiter. And Alfred… Tell my little star that I will always be with her… Now go. Get her off of Haven." With a fierce war cry, she charged the oncoming Covenant, tearing into them with the ferocity of a mother protecting her child.

Master Chief gazed upon the incredible scene for a moment, before turning away. "Blue Team, move out. Mon… Alfred. Get us to the child as fast as you can."

Alfred turned quickly and shot away, heading towards a set of doors next to the lift, "Everyone follow me! The armory is this way!"

Everyone rushed to follow Alfred, everyone except the Arbiter and Chief. The two leaders looked at each other and nodded.

Kelly saw the two of them staying behind and practically screeched,"What the hell are you two doing!? We need to get the kid and get out of here!"

The two warriors flinched at the feedback in their communicators, with Chief responding gruffly, "Everyone deserves the chance to say goodbye. Get the kid. We'll meet you at the splipspace transporter with Sing."

Kelly opened her mouth to protest, but stopped when Linda put a hand on her shoulder, "Kelly, it doesn't matter if he's right or not. He just doesn't want this kid to not have a chance to say goodbye to her mother. We didn't have that chance..."

Kelly hesitated at that, but eventually nodded, "Yeah... let's go."

Chief checked his gun for a third time as his team left with Alfred, "Are you up for a fight, Arbiter?" He looked at his once sworn enemy and slammed the magazine back into his assault rifle.

Thel'Vadam, the highest ranking member of the Sangheili Nation, looked at John and snarled, "Always, Daemon." He unclipped his energy sword and plasma rifle from his waist, activating the blade with a sharp, cracking hiss. "Let us kill the scum who dare disturb the peace of this place."

The two legends turned as one and charged after Sing Love. Their objective? Protect the Forerunner scientist at all costs. 

_**Well, that was a bit of an over load of information. And it still isn't done! Sorry for the wait on this one, it's been heavily edited. I wanted to make Rock more of a brooding teenager, but then I realized that my stories always lacked something FLUFF! I'll be adding some warm, fuzzy moments amongst the dark grittiness of normal writing. Prepare for a tear jerker on the next chapter though, because I am not pulling back my punches!**_ _ **And please review! I mean seriously, what does a guy have to do around here to get some reviews and responses to questions!?**_


	4. Log 4: The Debt That All Must Pay

_**Hello, everybody! I just got a little present for you! Consider it my thanks for sticking with me through the years. I know that my earlier writing was absolute garbage, but hey... We all have to start somewhere!**_

 _ **NOTE: I might not be able to really pay, but if there are any artists out there willing to draw up or make cover pics for my stories, I would love to speak to you. Just PM me for more info.**_

Chapter 4: The Debt That All Must Pay

Master Chief had thought he knew what to expect when it came to seeing Forerunners in action. He had fought thousands of prometheans, hunted their wardogs and drones across their outposts, and even killed the Diadact. He was considered by many to be the expert in combating the alien race, but nothing could prepare him for what he saw here. The Didact was a blunt instrument of force. He got as far as he did simply because he was that strong. But Sing Love, an aging, dying Forerunner in a human body, was leagues beyond the Diadact. She moved faster than his enhanced eyes could track. Her scythe cut down several enemies at a time with every swing, and the ring around her back twisted and weaved, firing burst of energy at opponents behind her. Master Chief would have been terrified to face the woman in her prime.

"Daemon! We need to move!"

Chief glanced over at the Arbiter in time to see him slice a Uggnoy in two with his energy sword. He nodded and shouldered his assault rifle, working with the Sangheili to mow down a path to the ancient scientist. There was no finesse, no tactical movements. It was just the two of them, pouring lead and plasma into a crowd of violent aliens. The smell of blood, plasma, and gunpowder hung heavy in the air, combining with the screams of outrage and pain from the Covenant. They stood no chance against the two warriors, and were cannon fodder to the Forerunner scientist. Unfortunately, the scientist was old and dying, and by the time Chief and the Arbiter reached her, she was holding the scythe in a shaky grip and relying solely upon the capabilities of her ring to defend her. She looked up at Chief with a sad smile, "Now, what might you two be doing? I thought I told you to get my child to safety…"

Chief just grunted as he reached down and picked the much smaller Forerunner up. He had to admit, it was strange being taller than a Forerunner, but it did make things easier for him, "Ma'am, my team can get your daughter to the EP with no problem. We're getting you out of here so you can say goodbye to her… And so you don't have to die in this prison."

The Arbiter roared at a Uggnoy for getting too close, sending the tiny alien screaming for its life, "Daemon, we need to leave now if we are going to make it to the Pelican."

Master Chief nodded, and opened a line to Linda, "Blue Three, this is Blue Actual, we have the Queen and are moving to the Eagle. How Copy?"

The radio was silent for a few brief moments, before Kelly's voice filled the comm-lines, "Blue Actual, this is Blue Three, we are currently en-route to… Hey, what did we say the kid's code name was going to be?… Seriously? Fine… Blue Actual, this is Blue Three, en-route to the Princess. According to Alfred, ETA is two minutes. How Copy?"

"Good copy, Blue Three. We'll have the Eagle ready for flight when you arrive. Blue Actual, over and out." Chief looked down at the frail Forerunner, wheezing painfully in his arms. He had never been one for religion, seeing no use for it. But now he started praying. He didn't want this Forerunner to die without saying goodbye."

 _ **Blue Team and Alfred, Three Clicks away.**_

Linda cut off the transmission as Chief finished his piece, "Alfred, Chief secured Sing Love! He'll be waiting for us at the exfil. How long until we reach the girl?"

"At the speed we are going, it will take around two minutes. The covenant cannot send a slipstream portal this far into the installation, so we should be safe from attack. However, we need to collect something from the armoury before we leave."

Linda looked sharply at the floating AI, vaguely remembering Sing Love mentioning that the girl was located next to the armoury. Without warning, the Monitor came to a halt. Linda managed to come to a complete stop right behind it, but Kelly and Fred slid for several metres before friction brought them to a standstill. She leveled a deadly glare a the Monitor, an angry question leaping to her lips.

"We are at the Armoury. One moment while I unlock the- Oh… She left it unlocked for us." The black and white computer almost seemed to _frown_ as a large portion of the wall vanished with a pink flash, revealing a small, yet heavily armed room. It was only about the size of a large conference room, but it had enough weapons inside to make a helljumper jealous. Kelly whistled as they went inside, immediately making a beeline to a nearby Z-180 Scattershot. She glanced at the Monitor, silently asking permission.

Alfred let out an electronic sigh, bobbing once, "Arm yourselves, Reclaimers. I doubt we'll have such a smooth trip on our way to your Eagle. Fredrick, there is a set of small cylinders on your right. If you would distribute them to you team, you will find they allow you to carry a rather large amount of munitions."

Fred frowned, glancing at he aforementioned objects. He picked one up, inspecting it carefully, before attaching it to his hip. Then he picked up a Z-390 Incineration Cannon and held it close to the small device. A bright orange flash enveloped the cannon, and it was sucked inside of the cylinder. He raised an eyebrow at the useful technology, and began distributing them to the rest of his team, making sure to grab three extra. Two for the Chief and Arbiter, and one for the researchers on the ship. They quickly began stripping the room of every weapon they could get their hands on. They stopped at a rather unusual sight though. It was a black duster, similar to what Sing Love wore, only with a bright white star on the back. On the left, they could see a slot for an elongated, possibly bladed weapon, only it was empty. A single, white envelope was placed on the duster, with a message written in long, flowing script. Kelly murmured as she read it, "To my little star… Oh god… This belongs to Stella, doesn't it?"

Alfred bobbed once, his white light dim, "Yes… this was supposed to be Stella's gift once she reached sixteen standard years of age… That was supposed to be three weeks from now, but… we just ran out of time."

The Spartans felt Alfred's sadness like a punch to the gut. They had always thought of monitors as eccentric, if a bit murderous, AIs dedicated to protecting the installation they were stationed at, but this one seemed different. He almost seemed human in the way he spoke and appeared to convey emotions. Fredrick cleared his throat gruffly, resting a hand on the Monitor, "We can mourn later, ALfred. Right now, we need to get this and the Forerunner's daughter to the Exfil. If we don't get there in time, then Sing Love will not be able to say goodbye. So, where is the girl?"

Alfred hesitated a moment, before bobbing, "She is right next to our location… Please, use one of the Containment devices to carry the young mistress's belongings." He spun around on the spot, drifting out of the room.

Fredrick watched him go, before grabbing another cylinder and storing the items away. It was strange, seeing a forerunner AI actually feeling anything. But if it meant that they wouldn't be killed, then who was he to question it? "Rabbit, pull rear security... We don't know when the covvies are going to find us, and I'd rather not take a plasma bolt up the ass because we weren't careful."

Kelly nodded, almost tempted to pump her shotgun for effect, "You got it boss!"

The Spartans gathered around the door, waiting for Alfred to open it up. When the door opened with a hiss, Fredrick darted inside, ready to take down any hostile that might be inside. What he wasn't ready for, was a short, teenaged girl to drop down on him from above, attempting to impale him with a large black katana. He was lucky she didn't have much force behind the drop, and only suffered a heavy scare as the black blade sank several inches into the metal before friction brought it to a screeching halt. He swore and jerked back, displacing the girl on his back and sending her tumbling to the ground with a pained gasp. The girl shot to her feet and made a break for the door, only to run into a wall of armour worn by Kelly. She managed to grab the girl before she fell to the ground. "Hold on there, kid." Kelly glanced up and noticed the sword sticking out of a rather disgruntled Fredrick's helmet. "Uh... Fred? You got a little something on your head... right up here."

Fredrick just shot a murderous glare at the Spartan before tugging the blade out of his helmet and storing it away in the container, "Can it, Rabbit and get back to guard duty."

Kelly shrugged, and was about to turn away, when something caught her eyes, "Uh, sir... You may want to give the girl her pig sticker back. It looks like she knows how to use it." She gestured to a pile of Covvie bodies in the corner. Two brutes, three grunts, and what appeared to be the remains of a hunter were piled up in a corner.

Fredrick narrowed his eyes and looked down at the girl struggling in his arms. Sensing that she was being talked about, she froze and glared up at the Spartan. He had to restrain himself from fidgeting under her ice cold stare. She looked human at first glance, but if he looked closer, he saw some very odd discrepancies. Her irises, they were a bright electric blue, unusual, but nothing to be concerned about. However, he could also see bright, white rings surrounding an equally white pupils. The girl's eyes... were just like her mother's. "Stella?"

The girl blinked owlishly, nodding slowly. Fredrick carefully released her, crouching down to her eye level, "We're here to get you to safety. Your mother sent us with Alf-er... Shattered Heart, to pick you up and get you out of here. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Stella glared at the massive human, as if debating whether or not she could take him. After a few short moments, she nodded and crossed her arms. Fredrick raised an eyebrow, "I thought for sure you would be more like your mother..."

The monitor chuckled, drifting into the room, "Actually, unlike her mother, a Lifeworker, Stella is turning out to be quite the Promethean. If we gave her a few more millennia, she might be as good as the Ur-Didact..." Alfred looked down at Stella, somehow giving an admonishing attitude. "Now Stella, we need to get you to a safe place. Your mother has ordered an evacuation o the facility, and these nice humans are going to help us escape. Are you ready to go?"

Stella swallowed nervously, suddenly realizing that this was all very real... And if this was real, then those drones she had cut down. Her eyes went dim, and she looked at the bodies like she was going to puke. Linda sighed, moving in front of the bodies and crouching down. She waved off Fredrick while she spoke to the girl, "Listen kid, I just heard Alfred here, the monitor, sweetie... I just heard Alfred say that you were supposed to be a Promethean. Now, I don't know if Prometheans were different in his time, but Prometheans today are incredible fighting machines who never shy away from danger. They never show fear, and they never quit." Linda neglected to mention the face that Prometheans today were little more than drones, but she was also trying to give Stella a little pep talk.

"I understand that things seem bad, and I'm betting that this is the first time that you've taken a life. But you can't think about that right now. Right now is the time for action. We need to get out of here before our ride leaves. So, I need you to be like a Promethean, fearless and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Can you do that for me? Can you be a Promethean?"

Stella looked down at her feet for a moment, letting Linda's words sink in for a moment. When she looked back up, her eyes were bright and hard, and she gave Linda a quick nod before looking at Fred and holding her hand out expectantly.

"Huh... I guess Forerunners don't say please?"

Alfred cleared his nonexistent throat, "Actually... The young mistress has never been skilled with words and has difficulty communicating verbally. So, she uses gestures."

Fredrick winced, "Ah... My bad. Now how do I get her Sw- Oh." He watched as Stella simply walked over and passed her hand next to the device. One moment, her hand was empty. The next, she had a katana sitting in her palm. "I guess that sorts it out..." Alright, Rabbit, contact Chief and tell him we have the girl. Everyone else, move out."

Kelly poked her head inside and nodded, waiting for everyone to move ahead of her before following, "Blue Actual, this is Blue Four. We have the princess and are proceeding to the Eagle's nest. How Copy?"

There were a few brief seconds before the response came, filled with background gunfire, "We are in the Eagle, waiting for you at the nest. The 30 mm cannons seem to be doing the trick against the Covvies so far, but that's if they don't send in the hunter pair."

Kelly grimaced, "Blue Actual... There is a singular hunter somewhere in the facility. The Princess managed to get the drop on the first one. As well as Blue Two's helmet."

There was another moment of silence as Chief processed this new bit of information. Eventually, he decided to just ask about it later, and dismissed it, "Good copy, Blue Four. Get the Princess to the Eagle quickly. The Queen won't be here much longer."

Translation: Sing Love is dying quickly. Kelly winced and nodded, "Understood, Blue Actual. I'll keep you posted. Over and out."

Kelly caught up with Fred and relayed the message, causing the man to frown in concern, "Alfred, what's the quickest way to the Landing Bay we came in?"

The Monitor checked his schematics for the installation, noticing that something was amiss almost immediately, "There is a service elevator approximately 35 yards down this corridor. It will take us directly to Bay Delta… However, I must advise caution in this choice, as it appears that the Covenant also know of this Elevator. There is an 86.3 percent chance that we will encounter some form of resistance once there."

Kelly almost purred as she stroked her shotgun, "Alfred, I _hope_ there is some sort of resistance. I've been waiting to shoot something all day with my shotgun here. This thing could probably take down a fully armoured Hunter with its Dragon's Breath ammo!"

The Monitor drifted closer to Fredrick and Stella.

Stella, surprisingly enough, was keeping up with the Spartans, who were at a full run. Fredrick looked back at the girl, noticing that she was breathing heavily, and seemed ready to collapse. He was actually stunned, as the Spartans had been really booking it to get to the elevator. He held up his hand, bringing the group to a halt. For a second time that day, Stella slammed into a Spartan. She staggered around for a moment, before collapsing in an exhausted, crumpled heap. She lay on the ground for a moment, sucking air in as if it were going out of style. Fredrick just chuckled, "You okay there, short stuff?"

Kelly gaped as she realized what just happened, "Uh... Fred? Did a 160 cm featherweight just keep up with us at full speed?"

Fred nodded, helping Stella sit up, "Looks like we just found ourselves a little athlete."

Linda rolled her eyes, looking around the corner of the next turn to see the service lift. "The coast is clear, sir. I suggest that we just carry Stella and let her recover there." The CQC expert gestured for Kelly to pull security.

Fredrick glanced at Stella for a moment, before standing and moving to Linda's location. He frowned at the empty lift, before figuring it out, "They must be after Sing Love..."

Linda nodded in agreement, "Kelly, grab Stella and follow us. We'll take a breather on the ride up. Are y- Oh... Looks like you're better."

She jumped slightly as Stella appeared at her elbow. The pale girl looked up at her solemnly, clutching the katana in her hand like a lifeline. Despite the emotionless look on her face, Linda could still see the tension in the teenaged girl's body. It was taking all of her willpower to keep herself from shaking like a leaf. Linda sighed, guiding the girl into the lit and taking her off to the side while the men waited with the monitor by the controls. "You doing okay?"

Stella just shrugged, prompting a mirthful laugh from Linda, "Let me guess? You've been training as a Promethean for years now, wanting to be a warrior like the ones from legend, and now that you're faced with an actual fight, you're completely and utterly terrified?"

Stella glared at Linda for a moment, before looking away sullenly and watching the lights on the wall pass by as the lift moved. Linda chuckled, "Don't worry kid, it happens to everyone. If you weren't scared of combat, then I would be worried."

Stella looked back at Linda frowning in confusion. Linda guess what she was thinking, but instead of responding, she pulled out a spare magazine and popped a bullet out. She looked at it for a moment, considering the small piece of lead, then she handed it to Stella. "This is a lucky bullet. It's lucky because it's one bullet that is never looking for you. That's one less bullet the enemy has to throw at you." She opened her mouth to keep going, but realized they were slowing down. The sounds of heavy combat reached their ears, and she stood up. "Get ready kid... You're about to enter a warzone."

Stella scrutinized the bullet, reflecting on Linda's words. She let them roll around in her head like the bullet in her palm. And after a while, she began calming down. Something tapped her shoulder, and she looked up to see the large, armoured female holding a sidearm-type weapon out to her. Of course, it was more like a handcannon to the much smaller girl, but it was relatively light in her hands. The human demonstrated how to fire and reload the weapon, going the motions calmly and precisely. Then she handed it over, along with three magazines. Stella looked at the new weapon, comparing it to her sword. It seemed smaller, and much more limited, and yet it carried the range and power to clear through multiple targets when her sword couldn't reach them. She weighed it in her hands,deciding to carry it in her right hand while her left hand wielded the blade. Linda was going to make a quick comment, but it was to late. The elevator came to a halt...

And all hell broke loose.

Stella's eye widened, and she ducked as a plasma bolt came inches from her face. Had she been of a more scientific mindset like her mother, Stella would have been appreciative of the high powered EM field that prevented the blinding heat of the plasma from burning her via proximity. But, she was a Promethean, and her right hand came up and squeezed a shot off from the human weapon. Being used to the recoilless, Forerunner weapons, Stella was stunned when her arm was jarred back by heavy recoil, sending her shot wide. She wished there was time to train with the new weapon, but time was a luxury she could not afford. A grunt screamed, rushing her without a second thought. After all, she couldn't aim her weapon and was smaller than the Spartans, so she was an easier target, right. Wrong. The black blade flickered out, slicing through the soft, exposed flesh of the grunt's head with a soft, almost silent whisper. The grunt managed to see his own body before his brain died, an indignant expression on what was left of his face.

Stella had already come to terms with killing the aliens, but that didn't mean she felt nothing. In fact, she felt mild annoyance that the aliens thought so little o her that the lowest considered her nothing. She threw herself into the fray, becoming a whirlwind of black steel. After another two shots with the handgun, she managed to compensate for the recoil, and began sinking round after round into the enemy. With the combined efforts of four Spartans and a Promethean-in-Training, the Covenant quickly fell back, unable to make any headway on their own. Stella cut down one last Brute, relieving him of his hands, then his head. She was getting winded at this point, and was struggling to keep up the pace. A massive shadow loomed over her, and she spun around to attack whatever it was... Only to see her blade skid off the heavy shield of a hunter. She tried to leap away, but stumbled on the body of the brute she had just killed and fell down. She tried to shoot at him, but the weapon just clicked in her hands. No more bullets, and she had just used the last magazine. She closed her eyes, fear flooding her system as she realized she had screwed up."

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Stella's eyes went wide as a white streak slammed into the hunter, sending it reeling in confusion. Sing Love had physically tackled the hunter, the love for her daughter lending the frail and dying Forerunner strength. Just enough to catch the Hunter by surprise, but not enough to actually overpower it. With a grunt, the hunter grabbed Sing and slammed her into the ground. Then it turned the plasma cannon on the defenseless woman... and fired. Stella watched in stunned disbelief as her mother was enveloped in a green flash of light. Everything seemed to slow down, her entire body went numb. She could hear screaming, far off and distant. The Spartans spun around as one and attacked the Hunter with every ounce of firepower they had while Stella crawled over to her mother. Due to the proximity of the Plasma Cannon to the metal ground, much of the plasma had actually been dispersed, doing only minimal damage to Sing. But it was enough. She looked up at Stella, a mixture of pain and love shining in her eyes.

"Stella... My little star..."

Stella gestured desperately at her mother, trying to keep her quiet.

Sing just smiled and shook her head, a small amount of red blood leaking from her mouth. She must have punctured a lung when the Hunter slammed her into the floor. "Stella... You need to... go with the humans. Can you do that?" She took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to hold out while she could. "You need to be strong... Show them that the Forerunners... We are not evil... We are just as... flawed as humans..."

Over with the Spartan's, Kelly had finally managed to dispatch the Hunter with a blast from her shotgun. They stood there, waiting to see if more Covvies would show up.

"Oh, no..."

Kelly and Fred turned to Linda, who was staring in shock at Stella. The girl was shaking her mother, desperately trying to revive her as tears streamed down her face. She was silently mouthing her mother's name, but no sound came out other than ragged sobs of grief. Chief and the Arbiter stood a little ways off, their sympathetic pain etched clearly in their body language.

Chief slowly approached the girl, kneeling down next to her, "Stella... We need to go. She's gone." He was stunned when the smaller girl spun around and pointed the empty magnum at his face, pulling the trigger over and over again as if trying to shoot him. Eventually, the gun began to lower, and sobs racked the girl's body. Chief carefully removed the weapon from her hands, tossing it to the side and slowly picking her up. He turned towards the team, gently cradling Stella in his arms, "Fred... Get Sing on board. Linda, start the ship up and get us out of here."

The Spartans and Arbiter loaded up onto the Pelican, everyone in a subdued mood as the craft lifted up and left the now war-torn facility.

 _ **Alright, I finally got a chapter of this done. This has been a long time in the making, and I hope you enjoy it. I'm going to attempt to have at least one chapter for one of my stories done every week, so stay tuned. The Paladin's and Harry Potter is coming along nicely on paper, so you might see that one pretty soon. I hope I managed to get Sing Love down pretty good. Sorry for those of you who were hoping to see her in action in the field... But she had to die.**_


	5. MAJOR AN

_**Alright, this is a major announcement! I have just created my very own page! For a while now, I've been receiving suggestions that I try to get paid for my work, and for the most part, I've dismissed them. After all, I enjoy writing, and even more so I enjoy people enjoying my work. I didn't want to have people pay for it. But recent events have left me... well, I'm dealing with a case of fraud and a recent pay problem wiped my account. I have student loans to pay, a phone bill, and a credit card to pay off. It isn't completely FUBAR yet, but I think it's getting there. I dislike asking for help (my parents have always had a field day with that one), but I think it's time to suck up my pride and turn to my fans. I know it I don't have that large of a fan base compared to most authors on this site. Heck, why would I? I don't exactly write mainstream stuff... However, I think it's time to suck up my pride and start looking for some help. My page is www. Writing_Soldier. I'm not asking for or expecting much, and I'm betting most of the people here can't really help... but if you could spread the word, that would be great. I need all the help I can get. Now... I think it's time to answer a few concerns I noticed in my reviews. Especially in "The Force of Change."**_

 _ **So... I think the biggest question I keep getting is: "When will I update my stories?"**_

 _ **Well, there are some thing's you need to know. My updates may or may not happen, dependant upon my schedule. I am a soldier in the United States Army. I have duties to attend to throughout the day, and sometimes I just don't have the time to get to this. I am however, concentrating a little bit more on "The Force of Change" right now, so you can expect more regular updates on that. In fact, the next chapter should come out within the next twenty-four hours of this update being made. So... head on over there if you want some of my writing.**_

 _ **Second: I have received several requests to see/review rough drafts of other stories... I'm actually confused by this. I'm not a professional writer. My mother is definitely a better writer than me as a teacher and someone who has taught up to college level classes. (She's a math teacher right now, and the best in Texas.) She was the one who taught me how to read and write before I really even started in school. I have her to thank for everything I know about writing (really, I'm pretty sure she could teach some of my old high school teachers a few things). As for reviewing and giving suggestions to said writers...**_

 _ **I'm going to give you a bit of advice. I've been writing since my freshman/sophomore year of high school. My first attempt at writing a story, for those of you who remember that far, was a ten chapter, 900 word story full of errors and problems. I have actually put more time and effort into my writing than... well, just about anything else, really. I think the only other "legitimate" thing I do more than write is play music. The point is, just work at it. I don't write like people were taught in school. There's no rough draft, no brainstorming, nothing of the sort. Everything you see on my page is completely free-written. It's my raw thoughts and how I see things playing out. Minimal planning and editing. Even what you're seeing now is simply my thoughts on the matter. I've come a long way from the days of the first Black Rose... The "Force of Change" has already grown into a ten chapter, 30,000 word novella. I love to write, and I'm glad others love to read my stories. If you already enjoy what you're doing, then keep on doing it. If you really want suggestions on your writing, then don't just ask one person. Post your chapters! Your best critics won't always come from people more experienced than you, but the ones who actually read your stories! Post the stories and then let the readers decide. If you want me to look at it afterwards, then you can just PM me the link! I enjoy reading stories as much as I enjoy writing!**_

 _ **Number Three: This is concerning some of my stories that people have been anxiously been awaiting updates for stories such as: "An Act of Faith," "Tomorrow's Destiny V2," and my BRS/Harry Potter Crossovers. I can assure you, there are chapters in the works. I actually lost a lot of work on "Claws and Wands" due to a computer crash... Really need to get a new one at some point... But that's later down the road. MUCH later. Just be patient, and your chapters will come. Like the saying goes, "A watched pot never boils."**_

 _ **Number Four: This is actually an extra note concerning the page. For those who donate the most, you will receive a cameo in one of my stories. As time goes on, and I get more time on my hands, the rewards will increase. I will try and take commissions for my music covers if I ever manage to do any.**_

 _ **Number Five: This is a shoutout to my brother. I won't say his name, but you know who you are. It's annoying trying to communicate with you on this site if you skirt around the shadows and only comment as a guest. For crying out loud, it takes two minutes to make a basic profile on this site! Make one!**_

 _ **Alright... Now we come to the biggest thing I saw on my reviews for "The Force of Change." These are answers to reviews put out by a guest going by the name of Axcel!**_

 ** _1\. Concerning Vader's title. You're right on the Supreme Commander part, I just like the sound of High Commander. It gives it that shock and awe feeling. As for the Lord Vader shite, Lord is his title and official capacity within the Empire, while Darth Vader is his name. It's like a Lord in old England. He is a Sith Lord, yes, but no one really knows what that is. So, he has the title of Lord, and since his name is Darth Vader, that makes him Lord Darth Vader. According to the Imperial Census, his name really is Darth Vader, which is why Leia literally calls him Darth. It isn't giving him a title, it's saying his first name!_**

 ** _2\. Concerning the Lightsaber: While it's entertaining to think of a lightsaber as some sort of contained laser weapon, the truth is that it's just not scientifically possible. A laser would be invisible, whether it's contained or not, and the amount of energy it would have to put out to cut through durasteel is equivalent to that of a small star. Looking at it from a scientific standpoint, you need something that fills these requirements._**

 ** _a. Hot enough to _melt_ through steel, not cut it._**

 ** _b. Hisses and hums as it moves through a medium_**

 ** _c. produces Ozone and Ionized gasses as it travels through the air._**

 ** _If we were to follow these three requirements, then the only suitable material is plasma. Superheated, ionized gasses that can be manipulated to create a glowing blade. Using electromagnetic fields, one can contain the plasma, aka an Emitter Shroud. The sound generated upon activation, is actually very similar to that of a plasma torch being activated._**

 _ **2: Concerning Ozpin's assumption about the Empire. Remember, Ozpin is very close friends with another military commander. Despite James's disciplinary attitude, he is still very caring about the people surrounding him, and doesn't generally make death threats or outright kill people. Vader has killed nearly a hundred men in a single night, more than half of those deaths occurring simply because they were in his way. He already has made several threats, one in particular being a direct threat, to Ozpin's life. And since Vader already admitted to being the High/Supreme Commander of the Galactic Empire, he knows that Vader is lying when he says "superiours." There is only one other person Vader could possibly be referring to when he says "report to his superiours." The Emperor. Also, he admitted to being second in command, a Dark Lord of the Sith (what good, benevolent empire would put a Dark Lord in charge?), and that he had the authority to arrest and kill anyone within the borders of said Empire. Glynda was watching that previously.**_

 ** _3\. Concerning Glynda: Glynda was the one who watched Vader ruthlessly cut down over a dozen men with no effort at all, during which he was in fact _toying_ with them. He's threatened Ozpin already, she knows he was ready to kill the Malachite twins for attacking him, and he straight up admitted to killing thousands of people with his bare hands and millions, if not billions more through his orders! Also, he states that he wishes to call upon the Empire to assist him with leaving the planet, and judging from his words, that means they will be coming to subjugate the planet as well. She is thinking about the students when considering the Rebel Alliance. She doesn't want the students to be hurt or subjugated by an Imperialistic threat from beyond the planet's confines._**

 ** _4\. Concerning Vader's saber: If you notice, I specifically stated that he used a Limiter Ring to generate the required dampening energy to convert a Sith Saber to a training saber. Yes, it is something I just threw in there, but I needed to keep him from outright killing his students due to their own incompetence. Neo's saber is an old Jedi blade, meaning it has the required settings. Vader's saber is a Sith blade, meaning he had to use an accessory to make it safer._**

 ** _5\. The Emperor is an idiot sometimes._**

 ** _Alright... I think that covers everything. Remember, even if you can't donate, then try to spread the word around. Who knows maybe I'll get more readers out of this!_** **_Sincerely,_** **_Dr. Bartholomew J. Tucker._**


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